Mick Colageo: No more messin' around — Five things we learned from Bruins' win Saturday

Sunday

Mar 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM

BOSTON — The Bruins almost lost a win, but after giving up a late lead they rallied to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Here's a look at five things we learned from this game ...

MICK COLAGEO

BOSTON — The Bruins almost lost a win, but after giving up a late lead they rallied to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Here's a look at five things we learned from this game ...

In first place in their division since November, the Bruins finally paid the price of their sub.-500 (16-17-2) 2012 by falling from the top of the Northeast Division — and second spot in the Eastern Conference — all the way down to seventh, one floor above the playoff line. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so captain Zdeno Chara was reunited with Dennis Seidenberg, and of course the famous shutdown defensive pair of the 2011 playoffs did not allow a goal against. Meantime, Joe Corvo was a healthy scratch on a day other "banged up" guys played — if Corvo takes his benching to heart and elevates his compete level on the defensive side of the puck, then maybe the Bruins will realize the talented blueliner's potential after all. With the win, Boston leapfrogged Ottawa for first in the Northeast, a lead only as good as the free-falling Toronto Maple Leafs when they played the Senators on Saturday night.

The Bruins tallied first for the first time in a long time — their record during a seven-game span giving up the first goal: 2-5-0. Saturday, Boston got first-period goals from Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin, both ending five-game personal droughts. "It was a much better feeling playing with the lead," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. Both Boston goals were the result of all three forwards working together. Kelly's goal was a rebound conversion on the heels of a pretty full-rink relay involving himself and linemates Brian Rolston and Benoit Pouliot, the latter who took the original shot off the left wing. Seguin finished a goalmouth feed from Patrice Bergeron, who had taken a cycle reverse from Brad Marchand after Seguin's speed following a touchdown miss caused the turnover.

No, the Bruins' list of casualties has not grown — this time it was the opponent that lost two players to injury — but the TD Garden ice was a dangerous place to be on Saturday afternoon, where Andrew Ference and Gregory Campbell both darted out at Philadelphia shooters, laying their bodies down to make important opening-period blocks. "The one thing we couldn't do was play on our heels and squeeze our sticks," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "It was all about winning at all costs." There were also St. Patrick's Day pugilists not named Shawn Thornton, as Campbell went with bruising winger Zach Rinaldo 1:55 into Period 1, and Johnny Boychuk made short work of Max Talbot 4:08 into Period 2. Thornton, an impending free agent, reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension that will pay him $1.1 million per season.

Boston came in 26-0-0 with a third-period lead, and Philadelphia was 3-18-1 when trailing after two. But a daunting season statistic seemed to hold no sway on what happened in the final 20 minutes, as Jakub Voracek perfectly tipped Braydon Coburn's shot from the left point past Tim Thomas with 4:17 remaining in regulation, setting the stage for the skills contest that decided the outcome. "I liked our game," said Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette. "In the first period (the Bruins) came out with a lot of (intensity), they had that jump that they needed. ... Late in the second I thought we started taking over, in the third it was back and forth. ... We just couldn't get it done." The game bore an eerie resemblance to Game 7 two years ago, when the Flyers came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit to complete the rare climb out of a 3-0 series hole. The outcome was different this time. "We didn't blow the lead, we fought hard," said Chara. "The most important thing was we didn't change our mindset."

Not in seven seasons since the static tiebreaker was introduced to the NHL have the Bruins seen all six scheduled shooters convert. And had Daniel Briere not broken the scoot-and-shoot pattern of the successful five that went before him, who knows what Saturday's result would have been? But Thomas charged out and Briere hesitated, failing to execute Seguin's trademark move. Julien is an ardent believer that a hockey game should end on a hockey play, but after such a crucial win the merits of the shootout was the last thing on any Bruin's mind. "I think we know that time is running out," said Julien, pointing out three priorities for the final 11 games of the season: 1. "We want to be in the playoff scene;" 2. "We want to be in the best position possible;" and 3. "We want to be playing our best hockey." Beyond the obvious, it's good for the game that Thomas denied Briere because a 6-for-6 conversion rate in the shootout would have unfairly tarnished excellent performances by Thomas (27 saves) and counterpart Ilya Bryzgalov (31). "I'm not a goalie so I'm not sure how mentally hard it is, but I'm sure it is," said Campbell. "(Thomas) is one of the hardest competitors."